Steele Untitled
by lovesteele
Summary: Discovering Mr. Steele in bed with a buxom blonde was Laura's worst fear, but are things really as they appear? Post S4 fic. Bonds of Steele does not exist.


June 24, 1986

It was bound to happen sooner or later. He would get tired of her brushing  
off his advances and seek what he needed in the arms of another woman.  
June twenty-first was the day Laura Holt would remember in infamy. It was  
the day she had walked in on Remington Steele having sex with a twenty  
something bimbo he had probably picked up from a bar in Santa Monica.  
Fake breasts, bleached hair and long fingernails were all she remembered  
when she thought of the woman. Heck, at least she hadn't been a hooker...  
had she?

Laura took another sip of her gin and tonic. _Panty raider_, she thought of her  
drink. That's what her friends had called gin and tonic in college. Three of  
these and a guy could get into any woman's pants. _Any pants but mine_, she  
thought disgustedly. She had spent the night torn between being angry at his  
deception or angry at herself for not giving into what he had wanted all these  
years. Obviously, he had wanted to wait no longer.  
**********************************

June 21, 1986

Laura glanced at her watch for the millionth time that morning. Remington  
was late. _Not that him being late is anything out of the ordinary_, she thought.  
However, this morning he had promised to be there to meet with a new client.  
Mr. Johanssen was big money and wanted them to investigate the death of his  
best friend and former partner. The case had the potential to set them up  
financially for a long time to come.

"I'm going over to Mr. Steele's, Mildred," Laura announced as she grabbed her  
purse and hat. "If he calls, tell him he's dead meat."

"Will do, Miss Holt," Mildred said. "I tried his place again but there's still no  
answer. Do you want me to start checking hospitals?"

"It couldn't hurt," she answered on her way out. "Call me on the limo phone  
if you find out anything."

"Sure thing, kiddo." _He's dead meat_, Mildred thought to herself as she picked  
up the phone and dialed.  
*************

Laura knocked on Remington's door a half hour later. Traffic had been hell, and  
everything was getting on her nerves this morning. She almost hoped he was in  
the hospital so she would not have to wring his neck. She knocked again after  
getting no answer. Finally, she let herself in.

Everything looked normal as she walked into the living room. His bedroom door  
was shut. Could he have slept in? It wasn't like him to turn off his alarm and not  
go to work. Laura was about to open the door when she heard a moan. Thinking  
Remington was just waking up, she opened the door. To her horror, she found a  
blond woman straddling Remington. She stood there gaping, completely shocked.

The couple in the bed didn't notice her as they continued to moan and groan.  
It was only after Laura gasped and slammed the door on the way out that  
Remington noticed she'd even been there. Typical of anyone in his situation, he  
wrapped the sheet around him and went after her.  
********************************

June 24, 1986

Laura still remembered how her face burned with embarrassment and rage. She  
had made it to his front door when he called after her. She pretended not to  
hear him and continued out the door to the elevator.

"Laura, wait!" he had called. She hadn't listened. Instead, she had taken the  
stairs and had Fred drive her home. He hadn't asked her any questions, but the  
look on his face said it all. Mildred called as she entered her loft. Laura hadn't  
told her anything except that Mr. Steele was fine and would be in the office  
shortly.

Of course, not twenty minutes later, Remington had been pounding on her door  
and calling her name. _ I should have parked in back_, she thought as she listened  
to the pounding. She swallowed two Tylenol with a glass of wine and parked herself  
on her sofa. Remington had stopped pounding but was still talking.

"We need to talk," he was saying. _Too late_, she thought as she took a long sip  
of the wine. "I know what it looked like," he had tried to say, but Laura cut him  
off.

"You mean, it looked like you were FUCKING another woman?" she screamed.

Remington cringed at her vulgarity. In four years he had yet to hear her use  
that word. She obviously did not want to speak with him. He stood at her door  
for another minute listening to Laura's sniffles. When he could no longer stand  
her crying, he left.  
*********************************

June 24, 1986

Laura was pouring herself a second gin and tonic when there was a knock on the  
door. "Who is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's me," Remington answered.

"I already told you I don't have anything to say to you," she said, trying to sound  
strong. She wasn't going to tell him she had spent the last three days crying on  
her couch. She had simply told Mildred she was taking a few days off to get over  
a cold. Whether or not Mildred believed her was irrelevant. However, there was  
no way she was going to tell HIM that she had cried over what happened. She  
was stronger than that.

"Laura, please," he all but begged. "Please don't shut me out. I need to explain."

"I'm tired of hearing you beg," she snarled. "It's unbecoming."

"Please... please," he was whispering through her door. "I need to see you. To  
tell you what I want to say. Please?"

"I think you've already done enough for this week, Mr. Steele."

"Fine, then I'll say it right here and you can decided what you want to do." He  
paused. "Laura?"

"Fine. Just say it and go away."

"I just..." he started. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. And... to say that no matter  
what you saw, or you think you saw... I still love you." He waited a few moments  
then was shocked to see the door open and a very upset woman standing behind it.

Part 2

"You dare to tell me that you love me and that I *think* I saw you with some  
bimbo in the same sentence?"

"I-"

"You think you can come over here after I told you I don't want to see you again  
and tell me that you're SORRY!?" she screamed. "I deserve more than that."

"I know," he answered. He'd expected her anger and her outburst. "All I want is  
the chance to explain, Laura. Then you can tell me to get the hell out of your life."

"No," she said, rejecting him. "I got your explanation of everything concerning us  
when I accidentally walked in on you and that... that... BIMBO!. I don't care why  
you did it or who she was," she lied. "I only care that you've ruined everything!"

"But-" he tried again.

"No buts," she said, cutting him off. "I don't care who you see from now on. I  
don't want you calling me, visiting me or talking to me again unless it involves  
work." _Yep_, she thought. _Lay it all out for him. Don't give in._ "That is, if you're  
even going to stick around now that it's over between us," she spat. "I'll give you  
some time to think that one over."

Remington's jaw hit the floor as she slammed the door in his face. That had _not  
_gone well.  
********************

June 25, 1986

Monday morning came all to quickly, and Laura found herself at work much  
earlier than usual. At four a.m. she had decided that staring at the ceiling wouldn't  
help her solve her problems. Frustrated and tired, she flipped the covers open and  
headed for the shower.

She made it into work by five and found the building mostly empty. _At least other  
people can sleep_, she thought as she made a pot of coffee. Sleep hadn't been her  
friend for the past four nights, and it looked as if she'd go a week or more without  
it. _How could one sleep when all they thought of was their worst nightmare?_ she  
asked herself. She'd just have to get on with her life and get over HIM.

By the time seven rolled around and Mildred arrived, Laura had finished the  
paperwork on five cases and opened files on another two. When the clock hit eight  
she asked Mildred for another pot of coffee. By nine she wondered if Remington  
was going to show, and by ten-thirty was certain she probably would not see him  
again.

Fate proved her wrong a few minutes later as he breezed in the door. She could  
hear him greeting Mildred and could swear he paused by her door, but seconds  
later she heard him in his own office. _That should by MY office_, she thought  
angrily._ I'm the only one that does any damn work around here. Heck, even  
Mildred's more qualified._

Speaking of which, Mildred seemed to be avoiding her today as well. A brief  
conversation was all that had transpired that morning, and it seemed as if she  
somehow knew what was going on...  
**********************

June 25, 1999

By four o'clock Laura's brain picked up on the detail that no clients had called  
upon their services. Remington stayed in his office and Mildred busied herself at  
her desk. She figured Mildred knew something was wrong since she hadn't come  
in on Friday and practically snarled when Remington's name was mentioned.  
Getting up from her desk for the first time in hours, she thought about her options  
in this matter. That's how she thought of the situation. A "matter" to be handled  
professionally from this point on. After all, they'd worked together before without  
being involved. They could do it again, couldn't they?

_Not likely_, she thought to herself. _Who am I kidding?_ The least she could do is  
be a professional and go in and talk to the man. He'd sat in his office most of  
the day as well.

She knocked on his door as she opened it but was surprised to see him whispering  
into the phone. He obviously hadn't heard her knock and sat with his back to  
the door as he whispered. Her mouth hung open as she processed what he was  
whispering...

"I don't know, Marie," he whispered. "Laura's still upset about the other night,"  
he paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "No, she doesn't know. She  
won't get within ten feet of me much less listen to me," he paused again. "I tried,  
but-" Another pause. "I'll try. Can we meet at six? I can arrive by then."

_That bastard! He's STILL seeing her!?_

Finally, the conversation ended, and Remington hung up just as Laura shut the  
door.  
***********************

Remington left the office at five fifteen, unaware that his partner was tailing him.  
She'd arranged for a rental to be delivered within the hour since she knew he'd  
identify the Rabbit in no time. So far, he'd stopped at his apartment and changed  
clothes. She was shocked to see him come back to the limo in jeans and a button  
down shirt.

Now she was tailing him through Hollywood then up into the hills. Whoever he  
was meeting was obviously loaded to live in the area. Finally, the limo pulled up  
to a large house high up on the hill. She imagined that the view alone was worth  
a million dollars. Instead of stopping, she passed the limo and pulled into a  
driveway a few houses up. Seconds later, Fred drove by. She backed out and parked  
on the narrow street.

Remington had already entered the house by the time she could see the front door  
again. She turned off the car and sat low in the seat. Nothing would stop her from  
getting to the bottom of this.  
***********************

Remington sighed as he unlocked his apartment door. It seemed there was no  
chance of conversing with Laura about this mess. Who knew that taking on a case  
by himself would result in this? Surely he hadn't known all the possibilities. He had  
tried to talk things over with Marie up at her place. She had pulled him into her  
house with the intent to pick up where they had left off, only he hadn't been  
interested. Instead, he had told her that he was going to bring Laura in on the case.

The next thing he knew she had turned to ice and dinner had been spent in near  
silence. He had left feeling deflated, confused and very angry. When Marie Jacobs  
walked into his office a week ago complaining of being stalked he saw it as the  
perfect opportunity to prove to Laura that he was able to handle things on his own.  
_Big mistake_, he told himself as he threw his rumpled jacket on the couch.

In an attempt to ferret out the stalker, Remington had taken Miss Jacobs to a trendy  
restaurant downtown the night before. The stalker had not shown after three hours  
of waiting. That, in itself was not unusual. Criminals were not known for easily  
walking into investigator's hands. He found himself at the table planning their next  
stake out when he started to feel a little light-headed. He remembered going back to  
his apartment to plan their next move, yet he could not remember what had transpired  
until Laura barged into his bedroom. He had still been in a fog but had finally found  
presence of mind to go after her.

As it had turned out, however, the 'stalker' wasn't even a stalker and Miss Jacobs  
wasn't Miss Jacobs. Someone was after his hide and Miss Jacobs had helped by  
slipping a depressant into his scotch. It had not been enough to knock him out,  
but it had lowered his inhibitions to the point where he ended up in bed with a  
woman whom he had no interest in whatsoever. It also left him with a bit of amnesia  
about the whole thing.

Remington stripped of his clothes on the way to the shower. He couldn't seem to  
get clean no matter how hard he scrubbed.  
*******************

She couldn't believe it! After spending the evening camped outside of the 'perp's'  
house, she'd finally made her way back to the office once Remington left. Two phone  
calls and a flustered Mildred later, Laura found what she was looking for. Her  
computer screen read:

[ Marie Eleanor Jacobs  
2100 Skyridge Terrace  
Hollywood CA 90748

DOB: 12-19-57  
SSN: 548-06-1287

Aliases: Kathy Marshall; Marie Harris; Marie Jacobson, Ellen Marsh ]

It turns out that Marie Jacobs was wanted in question with several burglaries  
in Southern California and Arizona. Mildred had reluctantly informed Laura  
that Remington had taken her on as a client so he could demonstrate his  
abilities as a private investigator. They had intentionally kept her out of the  
case.

"Ha!" Laura shouted to the empty office. He handled it all right. Right into  
his bed with a con artist... And to think she had been intent on moving things  
forward. _It figures_, she thought. Maybe he got tired of waiting. Maybe he had  
been sneaking around behind her back the whole time. Maybe...

"Damnit," she told herself. "He probably never loved me in the first place."  
Still, this woman's MO was to drug men and get them into bed in order to  
acquire information about their work in the art world. There was no doubt  
that this is what had happened in this case, but she was not about to forget  
what she had seen many days before.  
***************

Remington breezed into the office the next morning intent on straightening  
things out with Laura. She would understand that he had been drugged into  
doing things beyond his control. She was very logical... if she put two and two  
together it would be more than obvious that he had not wanted what she had  
scene. Only... she had to listen to him instead of throwing him out on his rear.

"Morning, Mildred," he announced before he noticed her empty desk.  
"Mildred?"

"In here, Boss!" she answered from Laura's office.

"Where's Miss Holt?" he asked as he entered.

"She's left for the day. There's a package on your desk for you," she said as  
she left.

"Thanks, Mildred," he said as he headed for his office. He spotted a large  
manila envelope with the name "Marie Jacobs" printed neatly across the  
middle in Laura's handwriting.

_Damn_. He should have known Laura would jump into the middle of the  
investigation. He knew better than to underestimate her, especially when  
he screwed up.

He dumped the contents of the envelope onto his desk, immediately noticing  
a letter from Laura. He put it aside for the moment and looked over the black  
and white photographs she must have taken. The pictures showed Marie  
Jacobs alongside some of the most prominent art dealers in the area. The police  
reports Laura had added showed that other men had been drugged and the  
contents of their galleries and private collections stolen. The last report showed  
Miss Jacobs arrest the previous evening, though the report had not been officially  
filed yet. She must have pulled some strings in order to get the preliminary report.

Laura must have learned that he had been drugged as well. Surely she would  
have let him know if she knew. Maybe she thought it was still consensual?  
_Damn, the letter_...

"Mr. Steele,

I thought you might be interested in seeing who your client really is. The  
information here should be enough to fill you in on Marie Jacob's motives and  
criminal history. On a more personal note, I've decided to take some time to sort  
through this mess on my own. Mildred has my travel information in case you need  
to reach me in an emergency. My schedule has me returning a week from tomorrow.

Laura"

He let the note slip from his boneless fingers. It wasn't Laura's style to run away  
from her problems. She usually dove into her work. Something was very wrong.

"Mildred!"  
***************

11:30pm Local Time

Laura felt much better after her second strawberry daiquiri. The beach was crowded  
with tourists this time of year, but the weather was spectacular. Things were  
looking up, if that was possible. The LAPD had arrested Marie Jacobs, and Laura  
wasn't surprised to hear the numerous charges against her. She had also heard  
from Mildred that Miss Jacobs had intended to get Remington under her spell in  
order to learn if any important pieces of art were being moved or protected by the  
agency. Apparently he had quite a reputation in the art world as well as the gossip  
circles among women both in Europe and the U.S.

She had always speculated about his past but was still surprised to have her  
suspicions confirmed. Her thoughts about his promiscuity were true if she believed  
what Miss Jacobs had said in her statement to the police. It seemed he had quite  
a reputation... but, it was not fair to him to judge his past. She could not hold him  
accountable for his relationships with women when they had not known each other.

Still, during her most liberal moments, Laura never jumped into bed with a stranger  
simply because she had heard he was a wonder between the sheets. The fact that  
other women had with Remington made her ill. The alcohol from the daiquiris sat  
like lead in her stomach, forcing her into her room for a nap.  
**********************

1:30pm Los Angeles Time

Mildred had not been forthcoming about Laura's location. It seems that Laura had  
interrogated Mildred the night before about Marie Jacobs and the fact that they hid  
the whole thing from her from the beginning. There was no chance of getting it out  
of her now.

However, the whole mess had started over his eagerness to prove to Laura how good  
a detective he is. Surely he could find her before she did something rash like cutting  
off his credit and closing the lease on his condo. It was difficult to admit that she  
would probably end their relationship over this. Drugged or not, he was still in bed  
with a woman when she had walked into his bedroom. It was doubtful she would  
forget that any time soon. She had been so angry when he had attempted to explain  
things at her loft. Couple that with her hasty departure and Remington could guess  
the outcome.

Still, he had spent the last four and a half years trying to prove to her his commitment.  
He was not about to lose everything because he had been duped by some she-devil. If  
he could not use Mildred to help him out he would use his own sources.

By three in the afternoon he was making reservations for Maui. It seems a young  
woman had checked in alone at a beach front resort. That was not unusual, but one  
of the staff had recognized her from a picture in the LA Tribune a few weeks ago.  
She had taken a direct flight from LAX and checked into the resort under her real  
name. Gathering his information, Remington left his office to go home to pack.

"I'm taking an early day, Mildred. See you tomorrow," Remington said on his way  
out the door.

"Night, boss," Mildred said, a little sad about everything.  
**********************

5:38pm Los Angeles Time

The flight was booked solid and Remington had been unable to get a seat in first  
class. He had ended up sandwiched between a couple on their honeymoon and a  
five year old spoiled brat. It was the longest flight of his life.  
**********************

6:45pm Local Time

Once Laura's stomach felt better she had wandered around the main part of the  
resort. A full body treatment seemed the thing to do. Four hours later she had a  
new hair style, a full body massage, a manicure and a pedicure. She felt like a new  
woman. Almost.

Her brain still demanded she contemplate the past few days from every angle  
imaginable. A large part of her wanted to return home and tell Remington that  
she understood he had been drugged and did not hold him accountable for what  
had happened. Yet, another part of her could not reconcile what she had learned  
about his past and definitely could not forget what she had seen. She had finally  
chosen to eat dinner in her own room to try and relax but couldn't find peace for  
hours to come.  
**********************

11:28pm Local Time

Remington found himself in a dilemma as he arrived at the resort. It was 11:30pm  
local time and he was unsure if Laura was still awake. Sneaking into her room was  
not the best option in this case since he was trying to earn her trust instead of destroy  
whatever was left. At least he was certain she was alone. He couldn't see her hopping  
into bed with someone just to get back at him.

He opted for playing the safe route and checked into the resort as Michael O'Leary.  
It would do no good to spread word of Remington Steele's arrival. At least the  
employee who had recognized Laura had been paid to keep his mouth shut.  
Remington also made sure to get his room on the opposite side of the resort, just  
in case.

He would formulate a plan overnight and try to unwind from the awful plane ride.  
It would do no good to be tired and cranky as he explained everything. That was  
presupposing Laura even agreed to listen in the first place!  
***********************

6:12am Local Time

Laura woke surprised to find that she had slept relatively well the night before.  
Glancing at the bedside clock, she notice she had slept in past eight Los Angeles  
time. A shower seemed like a good idea if she wanted to make it down for breakfast  
before the rush. She started to get up but remembered she promised Mildred she  
would check in with her today.

6:16am Local Time/8:16am Los Angeles Time

"He what!?" she exclaimed minutes later.

"He left about two, Miss Holt. He didn't say where he was going but I got vibes  
that he wouldn't be in today," she admitted.

"Great," Laura sighed.

"I'm sorry, hon. He asked me yesterday about your plans but I didn't tell him  
anything. I swear!"

"Well it's not as if I'm trying to disappear on the face of the planet. Call and leave  
a message if he arrives." Click.

Laura flopped down on the bed in disgust. He would find her in no time if Mildred's  
vibes were correct. "Might as well get up and face the music," she told herself.  
********************

7:00am Local Time

Remington had decided the direct approach was on the best and was waiting  
outside her door by seven in the morning. So much for the sneak attack he thought  
as he heard Laura open the door. However, instead of the shock he expected on her  
face, Laura seemed relatively calm.

"I talked to Mildred," she said by way of greeting. "She seemed a little suspicious  
yesterday when you left early."

"Yes, well she's usually on the mark about things," he replied. "Hi."

"Hi."

_Uh... what now, Sport?_"Would you like to get some breakfast? I hear the buffet  
is exquisite."

"Sure," Laura replied as she shut her door. "I don't feel like discussing things  
on an empty stomach anyway."

"Lead the way, Miss Holt," Remington said and followed her down the hallway.  
*********************

7:20am

"So," he began after they had filled their plates at the wondrous buffet. "This is  
nice."

Laura sat and placed her napkin on her lap. "Well... Donald and Frances came  
here a few years ago for a convention. Actually, the convention wasn't here, but  
they stayed here anyway."

"Ah, well I'll be sure to thank them for recommending it to you," he said.

"So..."

"..."

"You've obviously come all this way to see me, and I'm sure it's not to get me  
onto some moonlight beach to..." she trailed off as her annoyance rose.

"To, what?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter now," she snapped.

"Laura... I know that anything less than total honesty would be pointless now,"  
he started. "Should I start at the beginning?"

"By all means," Laura said as she sipped her fresh pineapple juice.

"Yes. Well, as it happened... This all started out by my wanting to impress you."

"You failed miserably," she said, smirking.

"Laura, please... this is hard enough without interruptions like that," he all but  
begged. "Anyway, I thought that it would go a long way to proving my commitment  
to you if I could show you that I was capable of handling a case on my own. Mildred  
agreed to help me as long as everything went smoothly. So, we waited until  
something came long that seemed perfect.

"Marie Jacobs hired me to help protect her from an old boyfriend who wouldn't  
leave her alone. I learned that she was using me the night you came over. I'm very  
sorry that you had to see what you did. I don't remember much from that evening,  
but we'd gone to a restaurant posing as a couple to try and get her ex to show.  
Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. She slipped something in my drink before  
we left... and everything is a blur after that. Until you came over. Laura, I swear to  
you that I had no idea what was going on," he finished.

"I know," she said, taken by his confession. "It seems you're only the latest victim  
in her schemes. She's done this to many prominent men in the art world," she told  
him. "She was arrested yesterday."

"Well that's good to know," he said. "I tried to explain what had happened that  
night but you were in no mood to listen. Not that I blame you."

"I know that too," she said. "I should have listened, but it appeared as if you were  
only saying what you said in order to distract me."

"It did appear that way, didn't it?" he asked. Laura nodded.

"I shouldn't have driven over to your loft in my condition, but I needed to tell you  
what had happened. I hadn't planned on telling you... I mean, what I told you. I  
mean, telling you under those circumstances," he finished.

"I'll admit I didn't want to hear it then. A lot of men tend to only say it when they're  
in trouble or in bed," she said. "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's walk," he answered, knowing that was not what Laura wanted to hear.  
*******************

8:00am Local Time

"On the beach again," Remington mused. "This is becoming tradition."

"At least it's not raining," Laura said. "I guess this is where I say I'm not dealing  
with this very well."

"Join the club," he joked.

"I'm not exactly happy that woman targeted you partly because of your reputation  
in bed," she said, watching his expression.

Remington's eyebrows rose in shock. "I didn't know that, Laura. From what I  
understand she chose me in hopes of gaining access to some pieces from a local  
art gallery or from other clients."

Laura rolled her eyes.

"Look, Laura. Since we've been together I haven't been with anyone. It's been over  
three years since for me... since we started to see each other," he told her.

"Somehow I find it hard to believe you abstained after the disaster in Cannes,"  
she said as she picked up her pace along the surf.

He grabbed her by the arm before she could get away from him. "Wait, please. Can  
we sit down and talk about this? I'm tired of walking." She nodded and they  
wandered up the beach to find a vacant spot of dry sand.

"Ah, that's better," he said as they sat. "Anyway... I can't say that I didn't try. I  
did. I found that I couldn't go through with it, however. It wasn't exactly my  
choice to stop seeing you, and from one week to the next I was never sure if you  
really wanted it to be over."

Finally, he looked Laura in the eye as he told her what she'd always wanted to  
hear. "And, I never stopped loving you, even when I was sure you didn't want me  
to."

"I'd like to believe that," Laura stated with a minimal hint of skepticism.

"Well, isn't that what you've always wanted, Laura?"

"Of course I want that," she spat at him. "I'm sorry," she apologized at his  
started expression. "I'm just a little perplexed at everything that's happened  
lately."

Remington remained quite, waiting for Laura to continue.

"I mean, things were okay. Not great, but okay. And then this happens and  
I came here to find some clarity and get out of my head for a while."

"And have you? Found clarity, I mean," he asked, digging his feet into the cool  
sand.

"I'd like to think so," she answered and imitated Remington's fascination  
with the sand. "I guess... I guess I was just so angry about what I saw. I feel  
awful about assuming the worst about you. It felt like I'd fulfilled my own  
self-fulfilling prophecy."

"Meaning you'd rather be right about my less-than-honorable intensions  
than put yourself on the line with me," Remington stated, obviously deflated  
at the turn in the conversation.

Laura's silence answered his mood.

"Laura, is being alone for the rest of your life what you really want?"  
Remington asked. "I mean, you're well on your way to that now."

"Is that what you think?"

"Well..." Remington paused, carefully considering his answer. "Let's  
evaluate, shall we? You. You're thirty. Thriving business. Wonderful  
reputation. Yet, you live alone. No lover, no husband, no children. Your  
cat ran away years ago. One possibility for a romantic relationship."

"Well, I guess if you're going to simplify-"

"Me," he cut her off. "A young thirty-something who, thanks to you, has a  
superb reputation as well. No kids, not pets. Like you, one possibility for  
doing the right thing in my life."

"Which would be me."

"I haven't stuck around for the free suits, Laura," he said in all seriousness.

"I know that now," she said as she stared at her buried feet. "There's  
something I haven't been real honest about, either."

"Oh?"

"I mean about me. Not really my intensions for us, but it does concern us."

"Alright. I'm all ears."

"I mean romantically."

"I'm listening."

"This isn't exactly the easiest thing for me to talk about..."

"You're referring to sex."

"Partly, yes. But, I mean... not just that. More than that," she faltered.

"I hope you feel like you can share anything with me, Laura. Especially about  
this," he gestured helpless between them, knowing Laura was stuck.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have a hard time dealing with  
intimacy. Not just sex, but being close with someone."

"You don't say," he said in mock seriousness.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Remington apologized. "I just meant that I know  
you do."

"Believe it or not, I have to be really comfortable with someone before I can  
just hop into bed with them and-"

"Wait a minute. I'm not asking you to just 'hop into bed' with me."

"Of course you are!"

"Bed, yes," he stated calmly, not wanting to upset her again. "But, please  
don't make this out to be something less than what it is."

"You said earlier that you were certain there were times that I didn't love you."

"Meaning that you would rather have the option of not dealing with me, yes."

"You believe that?"

"It seems to make sense, Laura. That's how I came to understand your not  
wanting me, or at least your confusion about things. It would have been much  
easier for you if you hadn't been interested in me, or if I hadn't been interested in  
you."

"But, you wouldn't have stayed."

"Probably not, no."

"You stayed for me."

"For the idea of you, initially. Once that changed I realized that it was for the  
reality of you. Los Angeles is my home now. You're there. Our work is there.  
My home is there."

"Things could be better."

"Always."

"Yeah."

"We'll work through your concerns around intimacy, Laura. As long as we  
feel that we're trying to achieve the same goals here."

"Like you being more willing to talk."

"And you being more willing to be physically intimate. Yes, and in case you  
haven't noticed... we're talking here."

"I suppose that's worth something..."

"Hmm... what to do... what to do..."

"Maybe a kiss?" Laura asked, leaning in expectantly.

"No, I don't think so," Remington said, millimeters from her lips.

"No?"

"No... I was thinking something more along the lines of a confession."

"Confession?" Laura squeaked.

"Yes, Miss Holt," he said, standing and brushing the sand from his pants.  
"Seems to me that I let the cat out of the bag a while back."

"Ah, I see. That kind of confession."

"It's only fair, don't you think? I tell you how I feel, you tell me how you feel..."

"Alright, alright. You want to hear those three little magic words?"

"More than anything in the world, Laura."

"Fine," Laura said and stood up as well. "I suppose a beautiful tropical  
beach is a good enough location to tell you that I love you. And I do. Whether  
or not I think it's the best thing for me," she hedged, hoping he'd understand  
her tease.

"Now I have a confession," he said, taking her into his arms. "You're the  
first person who's ever said that to me and meant it." He squeezed her for  
emphasis. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his chest. "You deserve much better than  
that."

"Don't be, Laura. I'm just glad you're the first."

"So, what happens now?"

"Now? Now we kiss, make up and go to bed!" he laughed.

"Bed?"

"To sleep. I was up all night worrying about us."

"What am I supposed to do while you're sleeping?"

"Oh, you'll think of something, Laura. You have the entire island at your  
disposal." Noting her frown, he added, "Or you could take a nap with me."

"Uh huh."

"Well, we at least have the 'kiss and make up' part of the discussion left to  
finish."

"I thought you said you were tired..."

"Not too tired to do this," he said and gently touched his lips to hers in  
the gentlest of kisses. He pulled away, noting her shock at his restraint.  
"I'm not expecting anything today besides your company and a few hours  
of solid sleep."

"I won't break, you know. I mean, you don't have to watch your step around  
me now that I told you I-"

"I know, Laura, I know. But, you might run away again..."


End file.
